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ABSTRACT
Despite the numerous health benefits of physical activity, some studies reported that increased intensity and duration may induce oxidative stress in several cellular components including DNA. The aim of this study was to assess the level of basal DNA damage as well as oxidative DNA damage in a group of professional dancers before and after a 10-month dancing season. A group of individuals from general population was also assessed as a control. The alkaline version of the comet assay was the method selected to measure both basal DNA damage and oxidative stress, since this method quantifies both endpoints. In order to measure oxidative stress, the comet assay was coupled with a lesion-specific endonuclease (formamidopyrimidine glycosylase) to detect oxidized purines. The levels of oxidative DNA damage in dancers were significantly increased after the dancing season. Pre-season levels of oxidative DNA damage were lower in dancers than those obtained from the general population, suggesting an adaptation of antioxidant system in dancers. Results of the present biomonitoring study indicate the need for more effective measures to protect ballet dancers from potentially occupational health risks related to regular intensive physical exercise.
Acknowledgments
We thank Prof. Andrew R. Collins, University of Oslo, for the kind gift of the FPG enzyme.
Funding
The work of CC and SC was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the grants SFRH/BPD/96196/2013 (CC) and SFRH/BPD/100948/2014 (SC). The author(s) would like also to acknowledge the contribution of the COST Action CA15132 to the study.